Princess Ngoc Son's house
Princess Ngoc Son
This is the place of worship for Princess Ngoc Son, whose birth name was Nguyen Phuoc Hy Hy, the daughter of Emperor Dong Khanh (reigned 1885–1889). She married Trung Quan Do Thong Nguyen Huu Tien, the son of Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si Nguyen Huu Thang, a high-ranking official of the Nguyen dynasty. After giving birth to a daughter, Princess Ngoc Son fell seriously ill and passed away at the age of 20. In accordance with her wishes, her husband Nguyen Huu Tien remarried within the royal family of the Nguyen dynasty to Princess Cong Ton Nu Thi Tran, the daughter of Kien Quang Cong Nguyen Phuoc Ung Quyen, Emperor Dong Khanh’s younger brother.
History of this historical site
In 1921, Nguyen Huu Tien built a villa on a nearly 2,400 m² garden, designed in the typical style of a Hue garden house, as a place to honor the spirit of Princess Ngoc Son, his first wife. It also served as the residence for him, his second wife Princess Cong Ton Nu Thi Tran, and their seven children. Over more than 90 years, the Ngoc Son Princess Worship Villa has been carefully preserved and maintained by the descendants of Nguyen Huu Tien, remaining almost intact despite the many upheavals that Hue and the Gia Hoi region have experienced.
Most mansions of the Nguyen princes and princesses, which are now worship villas, have either been divided over time due to inheritance or altered by urbanization. In contrast, the Ngoc Son Princess Worship Villa has preserved its original form, from the landscaped grounds to the interior layout, the altar arrangements, and even the family’s traditional way of life maintained by successive generations.
A few highlights about the house
An interesting feature is that the villa does not have the typical three-entrance gate (tam quan) seen in other Hue worship villas. The entrance is at the back of the house, along a winding path flanked by rows of Chinese tea trees and betel palms. At the end of the path lies a spacious courtyard, in front of which is a small architectural ensemble featuring a shallow lotus pond and a miniature rockery with stone formations and scaled-down models of temples, pavilions, bridges, and towers. Unlike traditional Hue houses, there is no screen wall in front of the villa; instead, the rockery serves as a protective front. The owner skillfully combined feng shui principles with aesthetic sensibility to create a harmonious arrangement: the rockery is high enough to shield the villa from external misfortune, yet low enough not to obstruct the view of the fragrant plants and cool breeze from the lotus pond.
At the center of the main hall is the central altar, arranged according to the principle of “Buddha in front, spirits in the back,” with Buddha worshiped in the front and the spirits of Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si Nguyen Huu Thang, Trung Quan Do Thong Nguyen Huu Tien, the two princesses, princesses and deceased descendants of the family in the back.
Precious relics
Personal artifacts of Nguyen Huu Tien from medals awarded by Emperor Khai Dinh (1916–1925) to recreational items such as:
- A bone xiangqi set
- Wooden game pieces
- Chinese porcelain treasured from the late 1890s.
- Silver or ivory betel sets
- Intricately, inlaid tea trays, have been carefully preserved and displayed in antique wooden cabinet
Making the villa resemble a small private museum. Alongside these heirlooms are thousands of valuable books in various languages, making the villa one of the largest and most precious family libraries in the ancient capital region.
Enjoy a lunch of traditional Hue specialties prepared by the family at their historical home while you unearth Hue’s fascinating past.
NOTES:
- Availability: Noon, Evening
- Suggested time: 12:00, 19:00
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Capacity: Maximum 20 pax
- Venue location: 20-minute drive from downtown.
Discover our Hue traditional food tour
